Saturday, May 9, 1998 Last modified at 4:40 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, 1998

Police investigating complaint against director Tarantino

Knight-Ridder

Quentin Tarantino may be in more trouble after his fisticuffs in the East Village last week.

A woman who claims Tarantino punched her during the incident at Three of Cups restaurant has filed a complaint with the NYPD, which is now investigating the matter.

Manhattan fashion stylist Leila Mwangi, 24, told cops that she was struck in the face by Tarantino when a punch meant for her boyfriend hit her. She says she suffered a cut to her forehead. Tarantino could be charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, according to a police spokeswoman.

Mwangi's boyfriend, Barron Claiborne, tells us that he and Tarantino - who know each other through friends - got into a debate about how Hollywood portrays blacks in film.

At one point, according to Claiborne, Tarantino said: "I'm surprised that white Americans accept Wesley Snipes because he's so African-looking." The discussion quickly escalated and Tarantino accused Claiborne, who is black, of "race-baiting."

"So, Quentin stands up and starts yelling, `If you don't get out of my way right now, I'll bust you,' " claims Claiborne. "So he takes a swing at me. I ducked and he hits my girlfriend. I hit him back and then everyone jumped in to break it up. ... Leila has a huge gash over her eye. ... He tried to come after me again.eish"